Bouf.com wins ‘Fashion and Interiors’ recognition

Bouf.com wins ‘Fashion and Interiors’ recognition

Bouf.com is the winner in the ‘Fashion and Interiors’ category of the Metro newspaper’s nationwide competition Venture Candy, to find the UK’s next top entrepreneurs.

Voted for by Metro readers, Bouf.com is an online marketplace for homewares, fashions and gifts from small independent boutiques.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won. I think we offer our customers something original or that is personal to them but with one point of contact for the consumer, offering customer support from beginning to end,” said Alex Griffin, founder, Bouf.com.

“Just being in the voting stage was really good PR for the business. It got everyone talking about us and we saw a nice lift in our sales and people asking whether they could work with us.

“The prize is something we would never have the budget to do. The business is at a critical point where we’re trying to get investors to put a serious chunk of money in so, as we roll out the ad campaign from our prize in the build-up towards Christmas, I think it will be a pivotal time to help us clinch the investment.”

Venture Candy gives enterprises the exposure, profile and support they need to transform themselves into the talked-about brands of the future.

Metro has been searching for the nation’s most innovative new enterprises in five categories: Design & Technology; Food & Drink; Green; Health & Beauty; and Fashion & Interiors.

More than 1,500 small firms entered the competition. The shortlist was whittled down to three finalists in each category and put to a public vote. Kelly Love and Bag Re:Born were also shortlisted in the ‘Fashion and Interiors’ category.

Metro received more than 16,000 votes for readers’ favourite new businesses. Bouf.com won 51% of the vote in the ‘Fashion and Interiors’ category.

Its prize includes a £50k minimum ad campaign, marketing and branding advice from The Scarlett Mark, the co-creators of Venture Candy and the creation of an ad campaign with The School of Communication Art.